STL still operates legally in Neg. Occ - Capitol exec

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines  — Contrary to reports, the Small Town Lottery (STL) continues to operate in Negros Occidental, with Super Lucky Beagler Inc. as its operator.

Manuel Escalante III, executive assistant of Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., made this clarification the other day over rumors that STL had ceased operations in the province.

Escalante, a former mayor of Manapla town which hosts an STL outlet, said the rumors could only come from groups involved in illegal gambling operations. “It could be from illegal operators envious of STL,” he said.

Escalante said only the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) can stop the operations of the STL, which is a legal numbers game. “If ever there is a change in the STL (operations), it should come from the PCSO and from the government.”

The PCSO authorizes a private corporation to operate the STL in certain province or city through a contract. Its Iloilo District Office also issued a statement saying it has not issued an order to stop the STL operations in Negros Occidental.

“In Manapla, those who circulated the rumors were previous employees out to discredit Lucky Beagler,” Escalante said.

In October last year, George Yap, Super Lucky Beagler representative to Negros Occidental, said in a statement that PCSO’s Board Resolution No. 882 in 2010 approved the company’s regular operation in the province for a period of three years.

The STL operation in this province is legal even if none of the mayors of the towns and cities had granted it permission to do so, Yap said, adding that STL is “exempt from VAT, 3 percent percentage tax, business/mayor’s permit and/or licenses from the local government units.” (FREEMAN)